And who is my neighbor?
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Marital Mercy

Mercy can stop when your spouse is no longer in need. As long as he/she is getting knocked around by life and temptations… he/she needs me. So what should I give him/her? A piece of advice? Nah. I need to give what can really help him/she recover. Maybe some affection, a word of encouragement, or maybe even offer myself to God for them.

Putting it into a marital context:

John: Today, my wife woke up all anxious because she says things aren’t going well between us. I’ve tried to cheer her up, but that hasn’t worked. I made her breakfast and did some chores, but that didn’t calm her down. Lord, I offer myself for her. Give her peace and let me take on her nervousness. I’ll try to recognize what she feels it´s my fault, even if I don’t see it or understand it. Hopefully that helps.

Mother,

Show us the way of merciful love between spouses. Thanks, Blessed Mother.

From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 10:2-16

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?”
They replied,
“Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her.”
But Jesus told them,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate.”
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery.”

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced them and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.

Word of the Lord.

One “self”.

No! We are no longer two. We know this because Jesus tells us so. This is indisputable, there is no room for alternative interpretations. We are now one, one flesh, because we have been united in the way of God, which is indissoluble for man.
Today, we want to emphasize that **we are one!** Do we live as one? Do we experience each other as part of the same “self” through love? This is how we must live, this is how God has ordained it, and this is how we emerged from the heart of Christ through our Sacrament.

Applied to Married Life:

Ricardo: What do you think are the implications for us, now that God has made us one? 
Marta: I think it means, for starters, that we cannot go against each other. Any feeling of opposition must be immediately discarded. It’s not possible. Also, we need to grow together in having the same feelings as Jesus, to seek God’s will together, to bear fruit together for the salvation of souls and for the greater glory of God, and to protect each other from the devil’s attacks. I don’t know, so many things… 
Ricardo: I think we need to pray and delve deeply into this awareness of being one. Let’s ask the Lord for this.

Mother,

You who already contemplate the Holy Trinity and have experienced unity with Them, teach us to be one, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.